• Adobe ingredients are simple.crosses and adobe image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
  
  Adobe is a building material that is used predominantly in the Southwest United States because of the climate and natural resources available. Adobe is made from the clay soil and the bricks help regulate the temperature of buildings. Adobe is a natural insulator which keeps heat out of buildings when the desert sun is beating down. There are a lot of advantages of building with adobe and the ingredients are simple.
  
  

Dirt

• Dirt comprises the majority of the adobe mixture. The other ingredients are primarily to form and hold together the dirt into a solid brick form. Most adobe is made out of clay or sand-based soils because they don't crumble as easily as rockier soil.
  
  

Water

• Water is mixed with the dirt to bring it to the proper consistency and to reshape it into a useful form. Most adobe recipes call for a fixed ration of water to soil, but the consistency of the mixture is the most important thing to pay attention to. It shouldn't be too stiff or too runny.
  
  

Sunshine

• Heat and sun speed up the drying process of the brick. Sun is essential to "cook" the bricks into their final form.
  
  

Hay

• Hay is not necessary but is often used to keep the bricks from breaking apart as easily. Adding hay to the mixture helps binds the dirt.